Study finds black holes made from light are impossible — challenging Einstein’s theory of relativity

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Study finds ****** holes made from light are impossible — challenging Einstein’s theory of relativity

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New research suggests that extreme objects known as “kugelblitze” — ****** holes formed solely from light — are impossible in our universe, challenging 

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. The discovery places significant constraints on cosmological models and demonstrates how 

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 and general relativity can be reconciled to address complex scientific questions.

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 — massive objects with such a strong gravitational pull that not even light can escape their grasp — are among the most intriguing and bizarre objects in the universe. Typically, they form from the collapse of massive stars at the ends of their life cycles, when the pressure from thermonuclear reactions in their cores can no longer counteract the force of 

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.

However, more exotic hypotheses exist regarding ****** ***** formation. One such theory involves the creation of a “kugelblitz,” ******* for “ball lightning.” (The plural form is “kugelblitze.”)

“A kugelblitz is a hypothetical ****** ***** that, instead of forming from the collapse of ‘ordinary matter’ (whose main constituents are protons, neutrons, and electrons), is formed from concentrating humongous amounts of electromagnetic radiation, such as light,” study co-author 

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, a physicist at the University of Waterloo and the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Canada, told Live Science in an email.

“Even though light does not have mass, it does carry energy,” Polo-Gómez said,  adding that, in Einstein’s theory of general relativity, energy is responsible for creating curvatures in space-time that result in gravitational attractions. “Because of that, it is in principle possible for light to form ****** holes — if we concentrate enough of it in a small enough volume,” he said.

These principles hold true under classical general relativity, which does not account for quantum phenomena. To explore the potential impact of quantum effects on kugelblitz formation, Polo-Gómez and his colleagues examined the influence of the Schwinger effect.

“When there is an incredibly intense electromagnetic energy — for example, due to huge concentrations of light — part of this energy transforms into matter in the form of electron-positron pairs,” lead study author 

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 of the Institute of Particle and Cosmos Physics (IPARCOS) at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, told Live Science in an email. “This is a quantum effect called the Schwinger effect. It is also known as vacuum polarization.”

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a ****** orb in space surrounded by a vast ring of glowing gases

In their 

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, which has been accepted for publication in the journal 

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 but has not been published yet, the team calculated the rate at which electron-positron pairs produced in an electromagnetic field would deplete energy. If this rate surpasses the replenishment rate of the electromagnetic field’s energy in a given region, a kugelblitz cannot form.

The team found that, even under the most extreme circumstances, pure light could never reach the required energy threshold to form a ****** *****.

“What we prove is that kugelblitze are impossible to form by concentrating light, either artificially in the laboratory or in naturally occurring astrophysical scenarios,” study co-author 

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, also of IPARCOS, told Live Science. “For instance, even if we used the most intense 

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 on Earth, we would still be more than 50 orders of magnitude away from the intensity required to create a kugelblitz.”

This finding has profound theoretical implications, significantly constraining previously considered astrophysical and cosmological models that assume the existence of kugelblitze. It also dashes any hopes of experimentally studying ****** holes in laboratory settings by creating them through electromagnetic radiation.

Nonetheless, the study’s positive outcome shows that quantum effects can be efficiently integrated into problems involving gravity, thus providing clear answers to actual scientific questions.

“From a theoretical viewpoint, this work showcases how quantum effects can play an important role in the understanding of the formation mechanisms and appearance of astrophysical objects,” Polo-Gómez said.

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— Supermassive ****** holes provide ‘hearts and lungs’ that help galaxies live longer

— Hubble Space Telescope finds closest massive ****** ***** to Earth — a cosmic clue frozen in time

Inspired by their findings, the researchers plan to continue exploring the influence of quantum effects on various gravitational phenomena, which have both practical and fundamental significance.

“Several of us are very interested in continuing the study of the gravitational properties of quantum matter, particularly in scenarios where this quantum matter violates traditional energy conditions,” said 

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, also of the University of Waterloo and the Perimeter Institute. “This type of quantum matter can, in principle, give rise to exotic space-times, resulting in effects such as repulsive gravity or producing exotic solutions 

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 or traversable wormholes.”

Originally published on LiveScience.

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#Study #finds #****** #holes #light #impossible #challenging #Einsteins #theory #relativity

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